Scotland goes back into lockdown 7pm Friday

[Lencoboy]

They were discussing on the BBC News over lunchtime that the forthcoming restrictions in England to be announced on Monday are likely to be a 'three-tier' arrangement. with areas in the highest 'third-tier' status (greatest number of infections) will have the greatest restrictions, but AFAIK still not the 'full Monty' of lockdown restrictions we faced back in late March-May.

I don't think my area is currently 'third-tier' level though.

[glassgirlw]

It's ok since we should have excellent stocks of vaccine from the UK and EU countries given America's Nancy Pelosi is concerned about our lower standards. I don't think she realises our standards match a minimum in the EU until at least next year and the EMA themselves, until recently having to transfer back into an EU country, were based in London (and many staff have remained here).

So I assume she also won't accept vaccines from any EU country given their lower standards?

Funny really when over here the debate rages about a deal with the US and concerns we could lower our standards to allow their food in. That's regulated by the FDA? And the reason we currently won't import it is the EU standards prevent it.

Apologies to our American friends on here. I'm sure when our politicians talk about your issues they are just as clueless.

To be fair I don’t think the US should be bragging to anyone about our “standards” given the current situation we find ourselves in. And I live here!!! Also Pelosi is a raving lunatic so there’s that lol. Seriously considering defecting to another country at this point and depending on what happens with the election in November that just may become reality haha.

[Gary A]

At the moment, I am trying to help a young man on another forum who has concluded that social distancing and the wearing of masks will be permanent and only complete suppression will eliminate the virus.

I'm really at a loss at how to point him in the right direction to overcome this fear.

There has never, in the entire time the human race has existed on this planet, been a pandemic or epidemic that altered civilisation for any length of notable time.

This is merely a dropped stitch. This pandemic will last around 18 months and will be quickly suppressed by vaccines and treatments. This particular coronavirus is now most likely endemic, but in a few years time it will be about as noteworthy as a common cold.

We just don’t have enough technology to combat a virus that has existed for less than one year, but we will catch up with it eventually.

[AntsyVee]

It really depends on the state you live in here in the us. The states who have governors and voters who believe in science and public safety are doing much better than the ones who don't, IMO.

[AntsyVee]

There has never, in the entire time the human race has existed on this planet, been a pandemic or epidemic that altered civilisation for any length of notable time.

This is merely a dropped stitch. This pandemic will last around 18 months and will be quickly suppressed by vaccines and treatments. This particular coronavirus is now most likely endemic, but in a few years time it will be about as noteworthy as a common cold.

We just don’t have enough technology to combat a virus that has existed for less than one year, but we will catch up with it eventually.

Sorry, Gary, I'm gonna have to disagree with this one, on the historical aspects. Definitely the bubonic plague in the 1300s altered civilization. Tuberculosis altered the 1800s and early 1900s. I would argue smallpox and polio as well. I think AIDS altered civilization too. CV will alter our society, but I agree that it doesn't mean the ends of our society. The only constant in life is change. We will adapt to this disease as we have adapted to countless others. It all takes times.

[Lencoboy]

Sorry, Gary, I'm gonna have to disagree with this one, on the historical aspects. Definitely the bubonic plague in the 1300s altered civilization. Tuberculosis altered the 1800s and early 1900s. I would argue smallpox and polio as well. I think AIDS altered civilization too. CV will alter our society, but I agree that it doesn't mean the ends of our society. The only constant in life is change. We will adapt to this disease as we have adapted to countless others. It all takes times.

I know it's like comparing apples with oranges but it's often been mentioned that AIDS caused a lot of widespread hysteria back in the 80s and there were even tales of persons being infected by means other than intercourse, some seemingly random and inexplicable.

Yet most of us still carried on as per normal, there were no 'restrictions' nor daily detailed confirmations of AIDS infection rates, hospitalisations and deaths.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not attempting to trivialise Covid in any way but it's worth remembering that there's still plenty of other things out there that are potentially detrimental to our health and lives, yet we don't usually tend to give them a second thought!

[Pamplemousse]

I know it's like comparing apples with oranges but it's often been mentioned that AIDS caused a lot of widespread hysteria back in the 80s and there were even tales of persons being infected by means other than intercourse, some seemingly random and inexplicable.

I remember the hysteria well, I was in my early twenties at the time. It was dismissed as a "gay plague" at the time, some even welcomed it as God smiting the Sodomites. Until it started spreading amongst heterosexuals.

The other vector for transmission was infected blood in transfusions: https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-blood-scandal

[Pamplemousse]

I suspect it will be an impossible task, PM..despite your best efforts.

An update on this, Pulisa. The person concerned is nigh-on hysterical about this and despite my efforts to point him in the direction of various self-help sites (anxiety.org.uk even has a section on so-called 'coronanxiety') it doesn't seem to be helping. He's been under attack on another forum for posting his views; some of the posts there have been distinctly unpleasant. He's losing any rational thought process in this; he's convinced that mask-wearing and social distancing will be permanent. He doesn't want to wear a mask either if at all possible due to health reasons.

I'm beginning to find his situation rather upsetting to myself, which in turn makes me feel selfish...

[pulisa]

You don't know who this person is, PM..Could well be a troll just winding people up because he/she can.

Look after your own wellbeing and move away? He's obviously keen to stick around on forums where he's getting abuse which begs the question..why?

[Pamplemousse]

You don't know who this person is, PM..Could well be a troll just winding people up because he/she can.

Look after your own wellbeing and move away? He's obviously keen to stick around on forums where he's getting abuse which begs the question..why?

No, I don't think so; I've been around on the Internet long before there were web forums and I'm good at troll-spotting - and he's really, really struggling.

Like all of us, he just wants answers. It's just he sees this as the end of the world. Pre-Covid his posts were interesting, intelligent and rational.